A blow to the system

by Ahmed Quraishi

Pakistan’s failed and destructive politics have reached a new height with the Bahria Town case. If anyone thought the restoration of democracy in 2008 after a long break would bring maturity to the system, they were mistaken.

What was the deal-breaker between Pakistan and the United States? And does Pakistan’s military establishment really want to eliminate rights activist Asma Jahangir? Last, how should the courts deal with Husain Haqqani?

Let’s take a quick look.

The Arsalan case: Aside from the details, the case is a new low for Pakistan’s failed politics. This is new evidence proving that a failed and unstable system and immature players are dealing a blow to Pakistan’s internal stability.

Can the military be involved? It’s highly unlikely considering the army chief’s vows to stay away from politics, a promise he has so far kept. The list of beneficiaries is long. What the case really demonstrates is that Pakistani politics require a ruthless purge.

Our homeland can’t progress without cleaning up the system. That’s the lesson of the past two decades. Our politics are focused on destruction more than building. There are some tough questions for our media too.

The relationship between a real estate tycoon and top journalists is disturbing. The rise and power of the Bahria Town enterprise is also something that does not bode well for the Pakistani state. We first saw political parties challenging the state and now private companies, such as the Bahria Town, are doing the same. Is it in the interest of the country?

Asma Jahangir: If she really faced what she describes as a ‘credible’ threat to her life, a lawyer like her would know that the first thing to do was to report it to police.

But she didn’t and her excuse is not very convincing. The manner in which she immediately reached out to foreign media outlets to accuse Pakistan’s military was too organised to be a panic attack. It’s obvious that the lines between Ms Jahangir’s work as a biased political activist and supporter of the Zardari government and her work as a rights activist have become blurred.

She’s been crying wolf against Pakistan’s military for a long time now, and mostly for political reasons. Her crude anti-military remarks during Husain Haqqani’s trial prove her political bias.

The Defence Ministry’s statement challenging her to register a police case was a right move, but the military institution should legally counter such blatant politically-motivated attacks, which recently have been in sync with the attacks on our military and intelligence from foreign governments that have their own agendas.

Memogate: The now famous anti-Pakistan memo seeking US role in senior appointments inside Pakistan’s military and intelligence agencies was a breathtaking example of treason by any standard in the modern world history. Husain Haqqani’s indictment should not close the case.

The probe should now be expanded to find out his accomplices inside Pakistan. Who were the members of the new national security team that was proposed to take over with a foreign nod had the memo been acted upon?

The former envoy’s spouse had access to the president as his media adviser. The security breach warrants a wider probe now that the question of Haqqani’s culpability is settled.

The US: Let me break a piece of news here. One of the key deal-breakers in the Pak-American talks on restoring the Nato supply line was the question of inspecting the containers entering and exiting Afghanistan via Pakistan’s territory.

The Pakistani side suspects the weapons and other war material in the containers reached anti-Pakistan terrorists in Balochistan and the tribal belt in the past. Pakistani negotiators wanted a foolproof way of ensuring that the material inside the containers does not ‘leak’ inside Pakistan.

Of course it’s not possible to monitor every container once inside the country. So the best way to go was to check the containers at entry and exit. Strangely, the Americans initially refused and then insisted that scanners to check the containers would come from the US.

No they won’t, said the Pakistani side, adding we’re free to procure the scanners from anywhere we want, including China. So, what is the US government really hiding here?

Ahmed Quraishi Email: aq@paknationalists.com

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